90 Shilling Lamb Ragu

What is Lamb Ragù?

A ragù is an Italian pasta sauce prepared with tomatoes, aromatics, herbs and spices to boost its flavor. A ragu is typically prepared with minced or ground meat.

When the minced meat of choice is ground lamb the resulting rich sauce is known as lamb ragu.

NOTE: The original meaning of minced meat is finely chopped skeletal-muscle meat (almost no fat) whereas nowadays the term is used interchangeably with ground meat (muscle lean meat and fat passed through a mechanical grinder, an emulsified mixture).

There is another saucy dish often confused with lamb ragu, mostly because of the similarity in the names.

What is Lamb Ragoût?

A ragoût is a French style stewed meat dish with vegetables. The meat is cut into chunks and the dish cooked slowly in a closed pot or pan. Ragoût is a main dish. While it can be served over pasta the Italian approach favors serving ragout over polenta.

When the stewed meat is lamb the resulting dish is known, predictably, as a lamb ragout or ragoût d'agneau.

Note that the French word ragoût directly translates to stew although its older meaning is said to signify 'to revive the taste'.

What Is The Difference Between Ragù and Ragoût?

In short - a lamb ragù is made of ground lamb, a lamb ragoût is made of chunks of braised lamb meat, typically from the shoulder and/or the leg.

If you are interested in learning more about braising as a cooking technique - read this helpful post.

About This Ground Lamb Meat Recipe

Our recipe for lamb ragu is one of the best ways to cook ground lamb. We prepare a ragù alla bolognese or a variation of Bolognese sauce with lamb.

The resulting creation is deliciously thick and meaty and showcases the richness of the protein. It cooks low and slow while the ingredients literally imbibe each other.

Typically, a dry white or dry red wine is added early on in the preparation of a lamb ragu and you can certainly opt for one of the two.

But we also offer to your attention the possibility of using a flavorful, dark lager or ale to bring about an umami depth and gently subdue the natural acidity of the tomatoes.  

Ingredients for Lamb Ragu

Ground lamb. You can buy ground lamb meat or select a boneless leg of lamb cut and ask your butcher (or clerk at the meat department) to grind it for you. It should contain a good amount of fat but not too much - the flavor of lamb fat is strong.

Aromatics. Use yellow onions for savoriness, carrots for sweetness and cloves of garlic, to taste. (Celery is not traditional in a ragu, while it is traditional in a ragout).

Olive oil. Lamb and olive oil are natural partners. The fruitiness of the oil complements the meat and if you can, use extra virgin olive oil as the base of the ground lamb sauce.

Tomatoes. When it comes to Italian pasta sauce make your best effort to procure good, meaty, organically grown canned and peeled tomatoes. See below for why to use San Marzano if possible.

Herbs and spices. You want to add as much savoriness as possible. Feel free to play around with our suggested oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, black pepper and kosher salt.

Wine or Beer. As stated earlier, you can use a dry white or red wine to make lamb ragu, or if feeling more adventurous select a malty brown beer (see the comments on our selection in the following section).

TIP: If you can find canned San Marzano tomatoes or at least San Marzano style tomatoes, use them. This variety is famous for its 'meatiness' meaning it lends sauces not only flavor but a texture that more watery varieties cannot achieve.

A Note on Using Beer in the Sauce

A dark beer can bring a depth of flavor to a meat sauce and boost its overall taste profile, also galantly reigning in the acidity of the tomatoes.

Our beer of choice for lamb ragu is 90 Shilling - one of Odell Brewing Co.'s flagship ales. It is a beautiful dark amber color, it is fragrant, it is sweet and toasty, and it is medium bodied and crisp. 90 Shilling is a lighter version of traditional Scottish ales and it never disappoints.

As a recipe ingredient it is excellent to use in a variety of braises and marinades. We frequently call upon it. Other great choices would be Vienna lagers, Munich dunkels, amber ales or brown ales, porters and stouts (if a stout has too much roasted barley consider adding a bit of brown sugar to the ragu).

Ground Beef Meat Sauce with Stout

How to Make Lamb Ragu: Step-by-Step

This sauce is best cooked in a Dutch oven or a similar heavy-bottomed pot. Below is a picture grid that summarizes the basic steps involved. Go to the Recipe Card for the detailed instructions.

Saute the aromatics until tender. The goal is to have them melt into to the sauce so allow a few minutes.

Add the ground lamb. Break it up with a wooden spoon or a spatula and sear it in order to create new flavors via the Maillard recation. When the lamb is browned and well mixed with the aromatics add the fresh herbs and deglaze with the wine or beer, after which add all of the wine or beer and lower the heat. Simmer until the liquid in the pot is reduced by about half.

Add the tomatoes and cook. Once the liquids contributed by the beer or wine have reduced, add the tomatoes and seasonings. Break down whole peeled tomatoes as you stir. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover with a mesh screen or partially with a lid. Cook low and slow until the sauce thickens and becomes irresistible, judging by the smell alone:)

TIP: Allow the ground lamb and the sauce liquids to imbibe each other as they cook slowly. The lamb almost begins to dissolve into the sauce and the flavors born from the prolonged cooking are so worth it. Don't forget to taste and season the sauce to your liking before serving.

How to Serve Lamb Ragu

The choice of pasta for this sauce is driven by its very nature. It is rich, meaty and longing to cling onto something. You need to have wonderful al dente wide bands with which to mop up the deliciousness.

To that end the perfect pasta to go with is pappardelle pasta.

At least once (and we recommend every time) try papardelle or a smilar wide strand variety.

If you are looking for a lighter presentation try sliced avocado and the sauce poured over it. It will not provide the decadent satisfaction of carbs but it will be delicious nevertheless.

Of course, you can always choose to serve the sauce over gnocchi, zucchini noodles or roasted spaghetti squash or roasted cauliflower bits or boiled rice or polenta.

Storage, Freezing and Reheating

If you have leftover lamb ragu sauce (we always do, being a family of three) you can easily preserve it.

Lamb ragu will store well in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week.

You can freeze lamb ragu in a well-suited container for a few months. When reheating first allow a night in the fridge.

To reheat ground lamb ragu first thaw (if frozen), then place in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Keep covered.

Other Lamb Recipes To Try

Ground Lamb Meatballs | Braised Leg of Lamb | Slow Cooker Lamb Crock Pot Roast | Boneless Lamb Shoulder Roast